Our gardens might be buried under a warm blanket of snow but they are in there somewhere...waiting to breath –– to be seeded and to flourish with a bounty of food and delightful flowers. Spring is coming soon; as I write, my How Many Days Till Spring app reports 26 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes and 9 seconds until spring.

So with dreams of spring, summer and even the fall harvest we can begin to polish up on our growing, prepping, putting-up and cooking skills –– in a warm, welcoming environment with engaging experts and like-minded folks.

Pitchfork School Workshops

The Pitchfork School is an off-shoot of the Fairmount Park Farmers' Market. The market team truly believes that education is an integral part of the local food movement PLUS a community that creates together stays together!

Our workshops are lead by experts in local food production and professional chefs. The workshops are held at various locations in the east end and are hands-on, small group and resource packed. You will always leave with a goodie or two. Each workshop runs 2 to 3 hours.

The fees for these workshops are incredibly reasonable.

$40.00 for one workshop with savings when you register for multiple workshops. Buy a five class pack and get ONE WORKSHOP FREE!

That's approximately 15 hours of instruction for $160.00 dollars!

*pricing does not apply to the upcoming Chef's Series which is a fundraiser for the market.

Scratch that gardening itch and leave with a design, plan and free seeds for your 2015 edible garden. Lead by Urban Gardner and owner of the Backyard Urban Farm Co. you will be in expert hands with advice on everything from crop rotation and soil amendment to companion and seasonal plantings.

Click the link below for more details and registration or contact us at info@fairmountmarket.ca ~ we would be happy to help.

Surviving Winter - Nutritionally

Dreaming of Spring? Counting down the days until the Farmers Market begins once again?!?

For now, it’s still Winter. Let’s continue to enjoy every bite of the vegetables and fruits we have access to until the growing season starts once again. Perhaps you have market fresh foods at home that have been preserved, frozen or dried, or maybe you receive a CSA box, or have found some wonderful local and seasonal types of produce at a nearby grocer.

Why not try to cut down on food waste by re-growing veggie scraps, eating parts of produce that you thought were otherwise inedible, or by careful planning of meals and snacks for the week.

Did you know that you can easily re-grow green onions, potatoes, cabbage, and celery yourself? A great science experiment for the whole family that evokes the feeling of an early Spring. Keep the root base of the plant, let it sit in a container with water in the windowsill (changing water daily), and voila! From here, potatoes and cabbage can be planted in soil to continue to grow, whereas green onions and celery can be harvested as needed.

Start to eat the peel on fruit and veggies such as apples, kiwi, cucumbers and potatoes for extra nutrients (such as iron, potassium and B vitamins) and fibre. The peels are often brightly coloured, which is an indication that they contain antioxidants and phytochemicals. The peels contain soluble fibre, a type of fibre that is good for preventing constipation and for managing cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Remember to scrub your produce well with cold running water and your hands.

Concerned about the possibility of pesticides in the peels? Visit the Environmental Working Group’s site to learn more about the types of produce with the most and least amount of pesticides, or if possible, buy organic. Squash and pumpkin seeds, carrot and beet tops, broccoli stalks, and Swiss chard and kale stems are all edible parts of plants that we often throw away. Why not roast the seeds, sauté or stir fry the green tops, pickle the stems, or cut up the stalks into very thin strips to serve with dip. Loaded potato skins, a flavourful soup stock, a vegetable omelette, and fruit muffins are all examples of recipes that can be made with parts of produce that you usually throw away.

Take some time to plan your meals for the week by first taking inventory of the foods you have on hand, what needs to be used up first, what you still need, what is in season, or on sale. Choose meals that you can rework the next day. For example, if you serve roasted sweet potatoes for dinner on Monday, make enough so that the leftovers can become a spicy sweet potato soup on Tuesday. Don’t forget to store produce the right way – some items like to be kept in the fridge, others thrive out on the counter, and still others in a dark, cool place. Don’t overload your fridge, freezer or cupboards - you need to be able to easily keep track of the foods you have on hand. Finally, don’t forget that keeping veggies and fruits at eye level (and cut up or otherwise prepared so that they are ready to eat) encourages healthier snacking!